Breast Cancer Advocate

“What an Awesome Event!”

When Linda Rinaldi, a breast cancer survivor and enthusiastic supporter of the Breast Cancer Fund, was invited to speak at a LUNAFEST event in New York, she didn’t quite know what to expect. But after being blown away by the films and festival’s positive energy, she was hooked. “I just thought what an awesome event!” Now in her fifth year as a host, she’s still a huge fan.

LUNAFEST Channels Passion for Women’s Issues

“I’m passionate about all kinds of women’s issues,” says Rinaldi. A criminal prosecutor, she previously worked with the Director of the College of New Jersey’s School of Nursing, Health and Exercise Sciences, coordinating a program for sexual assault victims. Later, she approached the College about co-hosting a LUNAFEST with her, realizing that the campus setting presented an excellent venue for raising awareness and funds for breast cancer as well as other women’s causes.

Whatever Works, Works

Rinaldi appreciates the ease of hosting a LUNAFEST. "The most important thing is to bring your passion to it," adds Rinaldi. Four LUNAFESTs later, Rinaldi and the College of New Jersey’s School of Nursing, Health and Exercise Sciences have together raised funds for several local breast cancer organizations, as well as a non-profit called Womanspace, which helps women impacted by domestic and sexual violence.

More Than a Fundraiser

But raising funds is only one part of the equation. “What’s really meaningful to me is when people say they wait for LUNAFEST every year,” says Rinaldi. “And it’s not just supporting the Breast Cancer Fund, their local causes, or even women filmmakers. The stories and the issues really resonate with them. And that’s just… awesome.”